Program Information

According to history, pumpkins originated in Central America. The name pumpkin is derived from "pepon", which is Greek for large melon -- and American colonists used them as pie shells.

ABCs of Agriculture informs about Virginia's farming community and how it affects you. ABCs of Agriculture are produced by the Virginia Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (AITC) - an educational program which encourages and enhances agricultural literacy in Grades K-5 and 6-8.

Transcript

Hello, and welcome to the ABC’s of Agriculture! We’re here today to talk about the letter P which stands for Pumpkins!

Did you ever wonder where the pumpkin came from? According to history… pumpkins originated in Central America. The name is derived from PEPON, which is Greek for “large melon”. Pumpkins are a fruit in the cucurbit family of vine crops, which also includes cucumbers and squash… American colonists used pumpkins as pie shells…. Cooks would slice off the top of a pumpkin, remove the seeds, fill the cavity with milk, spices and honey…and bake the whole thing in hot ashes…. I prefer a hot pumpkin pie!

Pumpkins are picked in late August and autumn during harvest season…but, their time to shine in the United States is at Halloween. Jack-o-Lanterns carved from pumpkins have their origins in an Irish folk tale and an old belief that souls of the dead returned to this world on the evening before November 1st.

In Virginia… according to the most recent statistics… 275 Virginia farms harvested over 15 hundred acres of pumpkins! Growing huge pumpkins is a pretty big deal in some parts of the United States… At the 2001 State Fair of Virginia… the heaviest pumpkin weighed 586 Pounds…. Now that’s a whole lot of pie!

For the ABC’s of Agriculture, I’m Professor Brad… see you next time!

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